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On my Saturday ride I was in full cool weather gear, ended up stowing the arm warmers in my back pocket but never thought of removing the leg warmers – too cold (60 degrees).

Yesterday it was 90 degrees and sunny, and I was all smiles. Rather than take my scheduled Monday off, I went for an easy 16 miler (only six or seven minutes under an hour so I think it was slow enough. I am one of those guys. Put me in a sauna and my body, for whatever reason, regulates well. I love the heat even when it’s warm enough to look forward to a headwind. For some reason I just stay cool. It’s a gift…

This gift I intend on bringing to the club ride this evening. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, today will be my day to dish out the pain. It’ll be my day to smile as everyone else talks about how brutal the pace is and how extreme the heat is. For three years now, it’s taken me less than a working week to become acclimated to the heat (cold is a very different story)… This year I don’t even think it will take that long as I wasn’t struggling in the least last night.

I wish I could offer tips as to how I cope with the heat so well but I think it’s just a lack of bulk and genes because I really don’t do anything special… That said, I can say this: Cycling in the heat burns fat like nothing I know. When the temps really crank up is when I go from decent to lean and cut (though my wife is hoping I combat this for the coming season – oddly enough she likes me a little bulkier).

So for all of you first-time cyclists and fitties out there, now that the heat in the northern hemisphere is ramping up:

Stay hydrated – you probably need more H2O than you think.
Don’t forget the electrolytes – Gatorade, PowerAde, Nuun, whatever it takes, don’t skimp on the electrolyte additives, you need them.
Bananas – learn to love them.
Work hard but work wisely. Heat stroke sucks.
It typically takes two weeks to acclimate to hot weather. Take your time in that period.
Cycling and running in the heat is just as bad on the heart as shoveling snow in the winter. Be aware of the ticker.
Swimming in a cold lake after a run or a ride will help your muscles repair and bound back (at least it does mine).

5 Comments

I’m happy for you that you adapt so well to the hot temps. Unfortunately for me, I am the opposite and I adapt to cold much better than hot. This is doubly unfortunate now that I am living in the desert southwest. I hope you kill it this evening!